Monday, January 26, 2015

Marathon Monday: NHL All-Star 5K

I am not usually a fan of running in the cold, but as soon as I heard there was going to be an NHL All-Star 5K, I immediately signed up. Living in Columbus, OH the weather could have been sub zero with a foot of snow this time of year, but we were very fortunate. It was in the upper 20's with no snow on the course.

The Blue Jackets national anthem singer, Leo Welsh, was there to sing both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems. Jody Shelley, a former Blue Jacket player and currently one of their TV broadcasters, was also there to support the event and start the race.

Here is a picture of my son and I in front of the arena with the All-Star banner.

Several of the NHL Mascots were there. My son is a Penguins fan, so he was really excited to see Iceburgh.

Toronto Maple Leafs mascot - Carlton

The Finish Line

The Entrance to Winter Park with my finishers medal!!

They had an All-Star Zamboni out at Winter Park along with an outdoor skating rink for fans. There was an under 18 All-Star game going on during the race to help entertain the spectators who were waiting for runners to finish.

I certainly didn't achieve a personal record during this race, but it was a lot of fun. There were almost 4,000 runners in the second ever NHL All-Star 5K. Before the start of the race they announced there were only 300 runners in North Carolina for the first ever All-Star 5K a few years ago. It is a great show of support for this event that over 13 times as many runners were willing to register and run in the cold and potential snow in Columbus, OH when a warmer weather state such as North Carolina couldn't generate a fraction of the support.